Column: Who wants to turn the clock back?

The very idea of it made me shudder – can you imagine spending time with your classmates from 40 years ago?

I can and it’s not something that I’m keen to be part of.

Let me explain. My friend Linda had been away for the weekend. She’s originally from down south and we all knew she was going back to her home town for a few days.

I must have missed out on part of the conversation because I thought it was to see family. However, when we met up for lunch the other day, she was bubbling to tell me all about her trip.

“It was amazing! We all wore badges to know who everyone was ...”

“You needed a badge to know who your relatives were?”

“No. Kate did you not hear me say I was going back for my school reunion?”

“Your what,” I spluttered, “why on earth would you want to do that. Did you not say you came here to get away from everyone you knew before?”

With a shake of her head, Linda continued: “Well I did but I thought that it would be good to see if I was right to leave.”

“And what did you discover?”

It seems that it was everything she thought it would be – and more.

There were about 50 people from her year group attending the event which was held in a local hotel.

Linda said when she walked in it was like stepping back in time because there were all the usual cliques that she remembered from high school.

However, there were lots of surprises.

“Can you believe that the girl who was the most athletic and always winning at games was about a size 18. I didn’t like to ask her whether it was eating junk food or a medical condition. However, I think it might have been the former because she certainly tucked into the sausage rolls!

“And the girl who always used to have amazing hair and the latest fashions, seems to have turned into a right frump. Someone said she had been jilted at the altar but again I didn’t like to quiz her.”

Now anyone who knows Linda, bless her, can confirm that she usually isn’t slow in seeking answers to her questions, but it seems that even she couldn’t bring herself to do too much prying.

“So did people recognise you?” I questioned.

“That was the best bit. No-one did! When I did say it was me they all thought I’d blossomed. Said I was slimmer and looked years younger than the rest of them.”